The Executive Director (ED) Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) Prof. Baba Gana Kirba has called upon the three tiers of Government to ensure the transfer of new improved wheat varieties recently approved by the National Varietal Release Committee ( NVRC)get into the hands of farmers in all the cultivating states of the federation, just as he commended the support of Flour Millings Association of Nigeria (FMAN) towards the crop productivity.
Prof. Baba Gana Kabir in an exclusive interview with Food Farm News advised that the effort of the researchers and supporting partners for the two new bread wheat varieties and the other two for pasta would be more profitable if they are not allowed to waste away on the shelves by ensuring that the varieties are made available to farmers for commercial multiplications with the support of the Federal, States and Local governments of the producing areas.
Prof. Kabir pointed out that more effort still needs to be injected into increasing wheat productivity in Nigeria through best agronomics practices of the extension workers to farmers, supplies of inputs like fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation pumping machines for regular water as provided by the Government .
According to him " for the country to be wheat sufficient, we must insist on more Government' s effort towards varieties availability and affordability for farmers, and more states must be co-opted into wheat cultivations to reduce much import bills annually incured by the FG"
He commended the financial support given by the Flour Millings Association of Nigeria towards the releasing of the new four wheat varieties that are good improvement for bread making, and pasta products of marcaroni and spaghetti.
He said farmers have been much enriched with these new varieties release through on farm and multiplication trials where about 7.2 tons per land cultivated are being realized, saying that " with these official release of these four varieties including two bread wheat called LACRIWHIT 14 formally known as Borlaug100 and LACRIWHIT 15 as NELOKI with two Durum wheat( LACRIWHIT 16D and LACRIWHIT 17D) that are high yielding for macaroni and spaghetti productivity for consumptions, Nigerians should expect reduction in import and prices of bread and other wheat related products"
While he called for more interventions for the wheat crop cultivation in view of its high demand for consumption, Prof. Kabir said that " the four releases are just a first step towards sufficient productivity. Varieties release alone cannot do the job. There is need for support of Federal, states and local government for the expansion of the cultivation of wheat in all the growing areas. The next step to these varieties release is getting them to farmers at a very surplus and affordable prices. Not until then that we call this an accomplished achievement. Also best agricultural practices to attain the expected yield per hectare is very essential in this process in order to achieve the potential yield of seven or above tons per hectare as anticipated"
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